Scott W. Atlas scores 5/5 on our Quack Scale. He represents a very real danger to both his patients and the general public and we encourage members of the public and his patients to seek alternate medical or health advice. Do not follow recommendations from this individual relating to your personal health or the health of others.
If you’re not sure how our Quack Scale works, click here for a detailed explanation
Scott Atlas is killing Americans by spreading disinformation around the dangers of Covid-19. If you live in America in November of 2020 and you still do not think Covid poses a danger to you and your loved ones, then, by all means, go ahead and soak up his lies.
Qualification: A senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank, Atlas is not an infectious disease expert — he’s board-certified in diagnostic radiology, which means he specializes in reading and interpreting imaging like X-rays, CT scans and MRIs, and he served as a professor and chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center from 1998 to 2012.
Current Licensing Status: He is currently licensed to practice medicine in California, Oregon, and New Jersey
Resident: Stanford
Existing Complaints: None listed publically.
Website: None Found
Perhaps the most dangerous of our Quack Scale doctors, this individual has in the last few hours (Nov 17, 2020) incited civil revolt in Michigan, endangering the life of the Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, and others. His goals are politically motivated and his proximity to Donald Trump makes him a real and present danger to the health of the general public. Stanford has in the last few hours issued a statement distancing themselves from his views in a formal statement. Atlas, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, is currently on a leave of absence.
In August, Atlas was appointed by Donald Trump as an advisor to the president’s White House Coronavirus Task Force. Since then, Atlas has spared no effort in ridiculing efforts to contain the Covid virus, spreading disinformation on the dangers and transmissibility of the virus. He echoes Trump’s agenda on the coronavirus and in October a federal official told CNN that CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield is concerned that Atlas is providing Trump with misleading information about Covid-19.
To be 100% clear, Atlas is as qualified as a school janitor to make recommendations on viruses and their transmission. He has no formal education in the field and yet, somehow, he now influences America’s response to a deadly virus. He defines our definition of the ultimate quack, peddling lies and disinformation off the back of a qualification that enables him to read x-rays. Atlas is not a healer. In our opinion, a complete disgrace to the medical profession.
Your most effective tool to combat his reach and influence is to de-platform him on social media. We recommend unfollowing him and reporting any accounts for harmful and misleading content. Twitter has already removed certain tweets made by the doctor in which he tries to belittle the effectiveness of masks against Covid.
Supporting Articles
Publication – CNBC: Author Christina Farr on Sep 24, 2020. Stanford researchers say they won’t be silenced after criticizing Trump’s coronavirus advisor Dr. Scott Atlas. Verdict: 105 doctors, scientists, public health experts and faculty member have publically called out Atlas for spreading lies and disinformation
Earlier this month, 78 Stanford academics penned an open letter calling out Atlas, a former colleague, for spreading what they characterized as “falsehoods and misrepresentations of science.” In particular, the authors expressed concern about Atlas advocating against the use of masks and other public health measures.
Publication – Mother Jones: Author Nathalie Baptisite in Oct, 2020. Scott Atlas Downplays Coronavirus and Rails Against Masks. Verdict: Atlas continues to spew debunked science, claiming masks are ineffective and don’t work and lies about required infection rates to achieve “herd immunity”
Masks work? NO: LA, Miami, Hawaii, Alabama, France, Philippines, UK, Spain, Israel. WHO:”widesprd use not supported” + many harms; Heneghan/Oxf CEBM:”despite decades, considerble uncertainty re value”; CDC rvw May:”no sig red’n in inflnz transm’n”; learn why https://t.co/1hRFHsxe59
— Scott W. Atlas (@SWAtlasHoover) October 17, 2020
Publication – ABC News: Author Libby Cathey,17 November 2020. Dr. Scott Atlas under fire for telling Michigan to ‘rise up’ against COVID-19 restrictions Verdict: Atlas is described as being incredibly reckless and posing a threat to local communities and officials
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top expert on infectious diseases, told NBC’s “Today” program Monday he “totally disagrees” with Atlas, and Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health, called the comment “particularly irresponsible,” noting the death threats officials say Whitmer has faced.
Publication – Washington Post: Author Philip Bump, November 17, 2020. Either elected leaders the world over are wrong about the pandemic, or Scott Atlas is. Verdict: Atlas’s insistence that somehow more cases don’t lead to significantly more deaths is baffling.
Atlas’s rhetoric often appears to rely on giving the impression of studiousness or authority to make sketchy claims about why containment measures like restricting business activity should be avoided. He touted an analysis claiming that hospital utilization is down, relative to past years in states currently seeing massive spikes in new infections, analysis that runs contrary to what elected leaders are seeing on the ground.
Dr Scott Atlas.images are all used in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, commonly known as “fair use law”. This material is distributed without profit with the intent to provide commentary, review, education, and increase public health knowledge.
